


Two Lonely Kids

by winding_gulch



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic, Taako has one trust, these boys will be the end of me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-13 02:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10504137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winding_gulch/pseuds/winding_gulch
Summary: Set after The Eleventh Hour. Angus helps take care of his mentor when his new obsession with getting back into showbiz leads him to get a bit over-zealous at weird hours.And when it’s little boy wonder’s turn to fall ill, Taako learns what it means to be wanted.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Adding to all the wonderful Taako and Angus found family sweetness on here, this is a study for both characters and their relationship as a whole. The first bit is in Angus’ perspective, and the second in Taako’s. (Also note that the first bit is something of an extension of the bonus episode when the tres horny boys first met, and what Taako was doing at the time).  
> I was writing this before last week’s episode, but the trust thing hit me hard and worked well for the theme of this story, so I added it in. For those who love the interactions of kid detective Ango and and jerk-with-a-heart-of-gold Taako, enjoy!

“ _Dammit_!”

It was almost 2 AM, and Angus could hear the voice of his mentor echo through the corridor to the dining hall. He knew his suspicions were correct. Call it his carefully cultivated and advanced mind for someone his age, but Angus had a hunch that this is where he would find Taako.

He followed the string of curses into the dining hall, and deeper: all the way back to the kitchens. He peaked through the cracked door to get a better look at what was going on.

The kitchen, in short, was a mess. Various items that should not be food, were food. An array of dishes were lined out on one of the counters, all with half-eaten meals and used utensils beside them.

Taako was wide awake, and casting magic on another plate when Angus decided to intervene.

“S-sir?”

“Gah!” Taako’s concentration broke and the plate beneath whatever dish he was working on turned into sirloin steak.

He whirled around, but any panic in his gaze faded to mild exasperation when he saw who his late-night visitor was.

“What’s kicking, bubbeleh? Isn’t it way past your bedtime?”

Taako was one to talk: his eyes had dark circles beneath them (that Angus was sure was not makeup), his long ears had the slightest droop, and his hands twitched occasionally, still crackling with magic.

“I could say the same thing about you, sir. E-even if I know you don’t really sleep. Er… what is all this?”

Taako ignored him and cast another spell on the plate-turned-steak, turning it into what looked like kind of like mashed potatoes. He took a bite using one of the many spoons laid out.

“This, is my chance,” Taako explained through a mouthful of whatever. “Transmutating food, I can do it again, I can make people love it again. Love _me_ again.”

“Sir, what are you talking about?”

“The poisoning incident.” He suddenly made a face of disgust and looked disdainfully at his latest creation. He set the spoon aside and gave Angus half of his attention. “I…it wasn’t me. I found out it wasn’t me. I didn’t kill all those people, it was sabotage on the behalf of my former assistant.”

“Oh!” Well, that was great news at least. Angus remembered how Taako had been surprisingly honest recounting that story. It wasn’t really like him, and it was the first time he’d showed remorse for anything.

“I get my second chance now. I have fans. Someone in my last mission reminded me of that, and I gotta be ready to hit the road. Even if it means relearning all my old tricks. Cuz you know, the gig here isn’t going to last forever.”

Angus wanted to remind Taako that he had Magnus and Merle, and his faithful boy student, too. They weren’t going to just drop him when this was all over. But Angus didn’t think he’d be able to persuade him otherwise; especially not in the wizard’s current state.

Evidently, his ex-cooking job was still a big deal to him. And Angus deduced that this hour was the only one he had outside of the Director’s training and the kitchen availability.

But that didn’t mean it was right.

“Sir, it’s not healthy to eat so much food this late,” Angus muttered, eyeing the half-eaten plates. “It’s bad for digestion.”

“ _You’re_ bad for my digestion, Agnes,” Taako retorted, stifling a burp. “You should scurry off and let Taako do his thing.”

“No, sir, I’m worried about you,” Angus said, with greater resolve this time. “I know you’ve been involved with this for a while now. I’ve heard you in here this late before. Doesn’t the Director want you to be taking extra good care of yourself? You ought to be resting or meditating right now, sir.”

“Ango…why don’t you just leave the directing to the Director herself, hm?” Taako’s stubborn tone had faded just a bit. Angus, seeing this as an opportunity, didn’t budge.

“Sir. You’re going to get yourself really sick if you keep this up. So I’m going to stay here, and keep telling you to stop and head back to your room until you do.”

Taako stared at Angus dubiously, wondering if the boy was being honest about the bold words. Angus responded by puffing his chest as best he could and putting his hands on his hips; he read in one of his books that this was the body language of power.

Taako sighed, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Eh, wasn’t like I was making much progress. I’ll head on back, but you gotta help me clean all this up, first.”

Angus wasn’t going to be picky. “Sure thing!”

A few minutes of scrubbing plates, wiping counters, and discarding an alarming amount of strange food later, the job was done. Angus walked behind his mentor on their way back, noticing the slight, fatigued slant in his step. He hoped at the very least the elf would consider a night of meditation. Not having to sleep sounded like an absolute luxury—think of all the books one could read!—but that didn’t mean you wouldn’t need to take a break sometime.

He followed Taako back to his room to make sure he got there safe.

“You’ll be good, sir?” he asked.

“Fine, Agnes…thanks.” Taako yawned loudly, opening up the door.

“Of course! Night!” Angus headed back down the hall before stopping and turning.

“Love you!” he called.

“I know you do,” Taako answered back before slamming his door.

Angus smiled sadly. He never expected a positive reply, and maybe he’d never get evidence that the wizard cared about him in any way. But if Angus could at least be of assistance as a student, and help his mentor take care of himself in moments of weakness like this…that had to count for something, right?

Angus then cleared his throat, feeling a mild irritation in it. He had been staying up much later than usual, but it was more likely that he was just a bit dehydrated. Nothing a cold glass of water couldn't fix. 

Knowing he did his very best tonight, the boy wonder re-routed himself back to the kitchen to grab a glass, clearing his aching throat all the while.

* * *

If Taako could describe Angus in word that wasn’t “annoying” or a similar adjective one might use when working with the overly chipper boy, it would be persistent.

The boy detective was not one to give up on things. He’d seen as much when he’d corralled him off to bed that night a week earlier, and how punctual he was with time. He also saw it in how hard Angus worked to perfect the spells he was taught.

During today’s lesson, though, Angus usual enthusiasm seemed a bit stilted. He sniffed and quickly scrubbed at his nose with a sleeve.

“Got moon dust allergies or something?” Taako didn’t even look at him whilst asking.

“I don’t think so, sir.” He sneezed. “Just…feeling a bit under the weather. Nothing too bad.”

Taako wasn’t convinced: a glance back to his protege revealed cheeks far too gaunt, and the slightest tremor of his frame.

“Hold still, bucko.” He pushed Angus’ bangs from his face and put a palm to his forehead. It was like touching a warm stovetop.

Angus pulled away.

“Sir, I’m fine, really,” he insisted. “Let’s just go back to the lesson.”

Taako wasn’t thrilled by the idea. If Angus was sick, he could be contagious, and colds were one of the few things that could peg the elf down from his charming exterior to, well, average.

But Angus wasn’t about to back down from it. With a shrug (and a strategic few steps back), Taako continued on.

It had only been ten minutes after that when Angus began to fade. The sniffles were ever-persistent, and his shivering only got worse despite his best attempts at sounding chipper.  
When his very basic Fireball spell was about as pathetic as a blown out birthday candle, Taako decided to comment.

“You’re doing real bad today, Agnes,” he stated bluntly. “I mean, a wizard toddler can conjure up a more convincing flame than that.”

“S-sorry, s-s-sir…I-I goofed up that last one pretty bad.” Angus tried to look up at him and smile, but started to wobble a bit on his feet. Taako realize what was happening and acted on pure instinct.

“W-wow, hey!” He grabbed Angus moments before the boy detective hit the floor. Angus was breathing heavier, beads of sweat gathering on his hairline. Taako tried to set him upright, but the boy just slumped forward against him.

“Angus…?” He was surprised enough to use his proper name, for once.

“S-sir, I don’t feel s-so good…” He whimpered against the fabric of his cloak. 

“No shit. You look as terrible as your spell-casting performance.” Taako glanced around, hoping to find someone to hand the boy off to, but they were the only two around. He knew Noelle, Carey, and Killian were on a side-mission together, and Magnus and Merle were busy training as per the Director’s orders. He didn’t bother to know the other members outside usual suspects like Avi and Johan, but he didn’t exactly trust them with a sick human child, either.

Resigning himself to his fate, he scooped Angus up off the ground with some effort and headed off towards the boy’s bedroom. Sickness wasn’t something that could be cured by magic—healing spells and potions helped with physical wounds, but not so much colds. Many viral infections had mutated and grown resistant to treatments both herbal and magic in nature, so they were, unfortunately, the sort of thing you often had to ride out on your own.  
In his arms, Angus had begun to shiver. Taako unconsciously pulled him a little closer and kept moving.

Angus had a room somewhat nearby the Director’s office, perhaps because even she knew a young boy like him shouldn’t be shuttled away to the farthest reaches of the moon base with potentially rowdy roommates. Taako did peak in to see if she was there—maybe she had a hidden maternal streak that would make her grab Angus off him at the sight of the ill boy—but it was empty. With a sigh, he made the remainder of the trip to Angus’ room.

Inside was dark, but Taako’s darkvision made turning on the lights unnecessary. He instead headed straight to the bed and pried Angus off of his shoulder to face him. He carefully removed the boy’s circular glasses and set them on the desk atop a Caleb Cleveland novel.

The kid was looking worse, somehow. His skin was drained of nearly all its usually vibrant color, and his breathing was harsh and labored.

“How are you doing, bubbeleh?” Taako wondered, trying to keep his voice soft.

“I…I don’t know…” His voice sounded distant. His gaze was also unfocused, by Taako wasn’t sure if that was because of the illness, the dark, or the lack of glasses.

“Alright, well. You should probably get some water in you and then try to sleep this off. Just stay put, and I’ll go get some.”

He tried to set the boy down on the bed, but Angus grabbed onto his sleeve in an iron grip.

“I gotta go get you water,” Taako protested, but Angus shook his head vehemently.

“Don’t go…”

“I’m not going for good, my dude. Just gonna grab water. Come on, hands off the merch.”

“ _D-don’t go_ …!”

Taako tried to pull away, but Angus only responded by clinging to him and burying his face deeper into Taako’s shoulder. For a moment, the elf thought the new shuddering of the boy’s body was the result of a coughing fit. But when he managed to wrestle him away enough to glance at his face, he saw something a lot worse.

Angus was in tears. The sobs were made a bit raspy by the cold, but they were full of desperation. The glossy look in his eyes also gave away that Angus wasn’t fully aware of it—he was getting delirious from whatever cold he was fighting.

Taako had only ever heard Angus cry once, and that was over the stone of farspeech back down in Lucas’ lab. It was more humorous than anything, perhaps because he was removed enough from the situation. But this was the first time he saw his student reduced from his bright and stupid sparkle to a whimpering ball of misery…and it made Taako feel a bit sick.

He sat down on the bed and guided Angus’s face back into his shoulder, in part so he wouldn’t have to see the kid’s tear-stained cheeks any longer. It was made easier by the fact Taako was already holding him, so he didn’t have to initiate the hug Angus apparently needed. He rubbed his back gently, willing him to relax, but Angus’ sobs just kept coming.

“Shhh, pumpkin, settle down,” Taako murmured. “I’m…I’m not leaving, okay? I know you don’t feel so hot right now, but you’ll feel better soon. S’okay…”

He had no idea if the words were reaching the kid…but he would admit that Angus being so out of it was where he got the confidence to be comforting. This wasn’t usually his style, and he especially didn’t want people to _think_ it was his style. He had occasional slip-ups, like being genuinely endeared when Angus described eating his macaron by the Candlenights bush, or bursting with pride for ‘his boy’ when he conjured the perfectly timed Mage Hand at the Chaos Stadium. He kept it in check for the most part, though.

But the boy detective probably wouldn’t remember any of this later. Taako could let himself be kind.

A few minutes went by of soothing phrases, a steady back rub, and some rocking from side to side, anything to help Angus calm down or feel a little better.

At one point, Angus pulled away and rubbed at his eyes, even if he didn’t seem close to calming. Taako took this time to press a kiss to his forehead—a method he told himself was just to check the boy’s temperature without letting him go, and if Angus got some comfort for it that was just a bonus. He was still warm; not worse, but not quite better, either.

Angus mumbled something after the show of affection. 

“What’s that, bubbeleh?”

He leaned his face back against Taako’s shoulder and mumbled again. Taako tilted his head a bit to get a clear listen without moving too much.

“…mm…mom…”

Taako pulled back a bit more abruptly than he meant to. It was one thing for your student to address you as their parent. Stuff like that happens. But what, not even “dad”? Kindness or not, Taako felt very adamant in the fact that he was not a mother.

But after the slightly offended moment, he considered that maybe this wasn’t about him. Angus was delirious after all, and he had been living up at the base for some time now.

Was he feeling homesick? Probably not as a rule, it was rare to see Angus without a genuine smile. But feeling vulnerable tended to reduce one to their lowest state—Taako knew as much—so that just meant Angus was acting like any little boy his age when sick, in a foreign environment, alone, and separated from family.

The elf wizard was no blood family of Angus’; hell, they weren’t even the same race. But here was a kid who admired him without his celebrity status. A kid who worried about him and stayed up to odd hours to make sure he wasn’t getting too wrapped up in his own head. A kid who, time after time, reminded him that he loved him, even when Taako was too cowardly to respond. A kid who craved his presence when feeling poorly, who _wanted_ him…and who Taako trusted with all his heart.  
So Taako would be damned if he let the ‘alone’ bit be a factor. He already had plenty of alone for the both of them.

He pulled Angus as close as he possibly could, tugging free bits of his cloak to wrap around his upset charge in addition to his arms. Angus’ loud sobs tapered off into smaller whimpers, which didn’t sound much better even if the crying had stopped, and encouraged Taako to match the boy in vulnerability:

“There you go, pumpkin. Just breathe. You’re not alone, Taako’s here, and I…I love you. A whole lot, kiddo.”

Angus whimpers turned to silence shortly after that. Taako liked to think his presence and ministrations helped him reach this point, but he would never be sure. Regardless, Angus’ breathing had turned steady and slow, and he was fast asleep.

Taako took a lot of care to untangle the boy from his cloak and grip. He pulled free the bed covers—of course Angus diligently made his bed every morning—and slowly tucked the boy underneath. He intended to go grab the water, and then let the boy rest.

As he stood up, he didn’t leave the bedside immediately. Instead, he leaned down for one more forehead kiss, and was relieved to find the skin there already cooled somewhat. He tucked the edges of the blankets tighter around the boy in a final gesture of care, and set off to fetch him some water.

* * *

Angus recovered pretty quick, which was no surprise. He wasn’t one to wallow in his own sickness; as demonstrated the night he’d taken care of Taako, he preferred to be fully competent in the eyes of others. 

Today, Angus pranced into the room with the most enthusiasm Taako had ever seen, right back to his obnoxious, smiley self. Not that Taako was complaining.

But first, Taako did have to get something off his chest.

“Hey, bubbeleh, I got a question for ya.”

“Sure thing! What’s up, sir?”

“That day you were sick during the lesson…how much of that do you actually remember? Like, when you almost cracked your skull by passing out and stuff.”

Angus frowned a bit and looked up in thought.

“Hm…not much at all, sir. I remember trying to cast Fireball, and then everything got kinda blurred around the edges, like when steam from tea fogs up my glasses. I’m really sorry about that sir, I was a hypocrite for not caring for myself after telling you that you needed rest just last week!”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. Anything else?”

“Uh, I woke up at some point, but I was back in my bed, I think? Oh gosh, I hope I didn’t make a scene passing out!”

“Nah, you were good,” Taako assured. “It was easy to toss you back into your room to sleep it off. And that’s all?”

“That’s all I remember, yeah. I think I must’ve conked out for a while after casting the spell.”

“Awesome.” Taako turned on his heels so as not to give the boy room to protest or sleuth, with a very satisfied smile on his face. “Now, come along, Agnes. Let’s get this Magic Day biz on the road.”

He didn’t quite catch the smile on Angus’ face, either.


End file.
